Earle Bruce, Ohio State coach who followed Hayes, dies at 87

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Earle Bruce stepped into his dream job, football coach at Ohio State, under most challenging circumstances, replacing the program’s revered longtime leader after a fall from grace.

Bruce embraced the task of following Woody Hayes, and went on to have his own Hall of Fame career. He never did quite match Hayes’ record or status at Ohio State, but Bruce earned a special place of his own in Buckeyes football history as adored patriarch and sage and the mentor to the program’s current coaching star.

Bruce died in Columbus at 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

He had a record of 81-26-1 as Ohio State’s coach from 1979-87. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Bruce was hired after the revered Hayes was fired for punching a Clemson player in the 1978 Gator Bowl. Even after being fired by Ohio State and moving on to other jobs, he never lost his passion for Ohio State football.

“He was just so genuine,” said former Ohio State All-American Chris Spielman, who played for Bruce from 1984-87. “I think the one thing that stood out to me, and I heard other people describe him this way. There was nothing phony about him. What you saw was what it was. I loved him smiling when he told football stories.”

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Bruce in 1986, and later worked for him at Colorado State.

“I’ve made it clear many times that, other than my father, Coach Bruce was the most influential man in my life,” Meyer said in a statement. “Every significant decision I’ve made growing up in this profession was with him involved in it. His wife (Jean) and he were the role models for Shelley and me. They did everything with class. He was not afraid to show how much he loved his family and cared for his family.”

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Cumberland, Maryland, Bruce had come to Ohio State in the fall of 1949 to play football. He sustained a knee injury that in effect ended his playing days and got him to think about coaching.

He was a high school assistant in Mansfield and became a head coach in 1956 at Salem where his teams went 28-9. He moved on to Sandusky High School in 1960 and in four years had a record of 34-3-3 and then took over at mighty Massillon, one of the most renowned prep jobs in the country. In two seasons, Bruce went 20-0.

Hayes beckoned and Bruce joined him as an assistant at Ohio State in 1966. Bruce was in charge of a bruising offensive line that paved the way for the Buckeyes to win three Big Ten titles, two Rose Bowls, go 43-14 and win the 1968 national championship. Bruce was on the 1968 staff that also Lou Holtz, Bill Mallory, Lou McCullough and George Chaump. Earlier, Bruce had worked on an Ohio State staff that included Bo Schembechler, who would become the head coach at Michigan and serve as a nemesis for both Hayes and Bruce.

After six years on Hayes’ staff, Bruce became a head coach. He spent a year at the University of Tampa and went 10-2 with a colorful cast that included NFL star John Matuszak and George Orendorf, who would go on to become a professional wrestling mainstay.

After a stint at Iowa State, Bruce was hired in January 1979 to replace his mentor and friend. He went at the job with characteristic energy and organization, despite some criticism from fans who constantly compared him to the sainted Hayes, the Buckeyes’ coach for 28 seasons.

“You don’t want to lose in Columbus, Ohio,” Bruce once told The Associated Press. “A football loss? That’s terrible. You want to win all your home games. You’re only as good as your last game here.”

Bruce took over a 7-4-1 team that had lost its last two games and finished fourth in the Big Ten in 1978. He promptly took the Buckeyes to within a whisper of a national title.

With quarterback Art Schlichter working out of an updated, modernized offense and the Buckeyes employing the same old in-your-face defense, Ohio State went unbeaten through the 1979 regular season before losing the national title to Southern California, beaten 17-16 in the Rose Bowl.

After winning or sharing four Big Ten titles, he was fired in 1987 after falling into disfavor with Ohio State President Ed Jennings.

Spielman said news of Bruce’s death brought back memories of the Ohio State band showing up at Bruce’s home on the day the coach had been fired as a show of support and playing the alma mater for him.

He went on to coach at Northern Iowa and Colorado State before returning to Columbus in retirement and again becoming an integral part of Buckeyes football. He worked for years as a radio analyst and was well known for saying how he “bled scarlet and gray.”

Spielman was recruited to Ohio State by Bruce and became one of 10 All-Americans coached by him.

“I think coach always exuded passion for football and passion for his university,” said Spielman, who played eight seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. “The one thing that set him apart as a coach was that he was an equal distributor of criticism and praise.

“If you screwed up you were held accountable. If you did well he’d let you know you did well. I thought that was really how my dad was as a coach, which I really admired.”

Bruce was preceded in death by his wife, Jean. Survivors include four daughters, nine grandchildren — including Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith — and three great grandchildren.

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AP reporters Dan Sewell in Cincinnati and Ralph D. Russo in New York contributed to this report.

CORRECTS TO EARLE, NOT EARL AS ORIGINALLY SENT – FILE – In this Sept. 25, 2003, file photo, Earle Bruce speaks to the media, announcing that the Buffalo Destroyers will be moving to Columbus and Bruce will be the head coach, during a news conference in Columbus, Ohio. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many." (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

FILE – In this Nov. 21, 1987, file photo, Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce is carried by his players after the Buckeyes beat Michigan 23-20 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Photo/Robert Kozloff, File)

FILE – In this April 25, 1979, file photo, Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce poses during spring practice before the annual Red-White game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Photo/KFM)

FILE – In this Jan. 7, 2007, file photo, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, left, and Florida head coach Urban Meyer, right, are joined by former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce, center, as they stand with the BCS college football championship trophy in Scottsdale, Ariz. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday, April 20, 2018. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)

FILE – In this Dec. 18, 1982, file photo, Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce carries the trophy and game ball after his team defeated Brigham Young University 47-17 in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Calif. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelizi, File)

FILE – In this Nov. 21, 1987, file photo, Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce gestures on the sidelines during a game against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (AP Photo/Robert Kozloff, File)

Former Ohio State head football coach Earle Bruce, center, holds his "I-Dot" license plate before the start of a Skull Session at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio, At left is his daughter, Michelle Cenci. At right is Rick Bay, former Ohio State athletic director. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many. (Doral Chenoweth III/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce gestures during a football game in 1985. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many.(The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Former Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes, left, and Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce share a laugh at a dinner in 1987. Earle Bruce embraced the difficult task of following his mentor Woody Hayes as Ohio State’s head football coach. In his later years, he became a much-loved patriarch of the program he helped build. Bruce died in Columbus at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (Fred Squillante/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

Earle Bruce acknowledges the crowd after dotting the i with the Ohio State University marching band before a football game between Ohio State and Rutgers in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2016. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many. (Eric Albrecht/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

This is a Nov. 17, 1986, photo showing Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce. Bruce died in Columbus, Ohio at the age of 87, according to a statement released by his daughters through Ohio State on Friday, April 20, 2018. He’d been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. (Craig Holman/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

In this Nov. 18, 1985, photo, Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce smiles in Columbus, Ohio. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many." (Mike Munden/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

CORRECTS TO EARLE, NOT EARL AS ORIGINALLY SENT – FILE – In this April 15, 2016, file photo, former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce is flanked by former Ohio State football coaches John Cooper, left, and Luke Fickell, at a high school coaches clinic in Columbus, Ohio. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many."(AP Photo/Mitch Stacy, File)

In this Sept. 15, 1984, photo, Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce talks to quarterback Mike Tomczak during the first half of a football game in Columbus, Ohio. Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce has died at his home in central Ohio. The College Football Hall of Fame member was 87. His four daughters released a statement Friday, April 20, 2018, on the loss of "a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and a respected coach to many. (Tim Revell/The Columbus Dispatch via AP)